While, clearly, a majority of my formative years were shaped by the greatness of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, there was a small amount quietly tucked away that I remember was reserved for The Benny Hill Show. On the surface, the slapstick, mime and double entendre sketches were definitely cringe-worthy but there was a underscored brilliance behind […]
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While there is joy in Mudville with the realization that there probably won’t be any additional Upstart Crow greatness from the mind palace of Ben Elton and featuring the brilliant David Mitchell as a young Will Shakespeare, there is news of a new “case-of-the-week crime comedy-drama” from the BBC, Ludwig, starring Mitchell. Mitchell stars as John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor, assuming the […]
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A recent study by the BMJ found that a walking style made famous in a sketch by the Monty Python comedy troupe is actually vigorous exercise. Studies published in the annual holiday edition of the British Medical Journal, which traditionally highlights legitimate but offbeat research, indicate that a brief but brisk ‘silly walk’, similar to that made popular by […]
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Despite the recent instability at the most famous address this side of 221B Baker Street, there has been one constant at 10 Downing Street since 2011. Serving as Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom at 10 Downing Street, the residence and home office of Britain’s prime minister, Larry the Cat was appointed […]
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While Must See TV was derived as an advertising slogan that was used by NBC to brand its Thursday night primetime programming during the 1990s, it was just that….an advertising slogan. Originally assigned to whatever sitcoms scheduled on Thursdays such as The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, Cheers, etc., dramas were traditionally promoted separately. Fast forward to Sunday nights on PBS and […]
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It’s repetitive…it’s predictable…it continues to be brilliantly funny every year and it’s worthy of an annual mention on Tellyspotting every New Years Eve. On the surface, Dinner for One is a short British cabaret sketch from the 1920s that has become a German New Year’s tradition. Whether or not you understand the cultural significance of this, Dinner […]
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Fresh on the heels of one of the all-time greats of the acting world (Dame Judi Dench) turning 89 earlier this month on December 9, we now have the brilliant opportunity to celebrate another ‘Dame’ as she also turned 89 this past week – Dame Maggie Smith. Although she has achieved worldwide recognition with […]
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The alternative Christmas message is a message broadcast by Channel 4 since 1993, as a sometimes humorous and sometimes serious alternative to the traditional Royal Christmas Message. Usually featuring a contemporary, often controversial celebrity delivering a message in the manner of Queen Elizabeth II (and now King Charles III), the tradition started by accident when, running a series of programs on “Christmas in […]
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Much like watching It’s a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story, Tuna Christmas or, as evidenced by a recent admission, Die Hard, one of my annual Christmas traditions is to listen to John Cleese’s adaptation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas from podcast No. 28. Never mind that there have been endless readings over the years by the likes […]
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While Larry, the Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street, deservedly grabs most of the headlines these days in the British press, there’s another British cat the warrants a bit of ink (and, not just on page 3 of the The Sun). England’s Winston Churchill gained a well-deserved reputation as one of the best known and […]
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